Monday, December 20, 2010

If you are a fan of Bagels, and don't live in a town that is known for them, than you need to try and make your own. There is nothing better than a bagel that is crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside.

Making bagels is so easy and the results are delicious.

This recipe makes 16 bagels which you may think is too many, but you can share with friends or put in the freezer for later. They freeze great.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, place the water, sugar, malt syrup, and yeast.Proof the yeast, it should take about 5 minutes for the yeast to start to bubble.

Add the flour first than the salt. You just want to keep the salt from coming in touch with the yeast.

With a dough hook mix on low speed to incorporate and than beat on medium high speed for about 3 minutes. the dough should form a smooth ball.Place in a oiled container with a lid and let rise until double.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. With a bench scraper or a knife, divide the dough into 16 equal pieces. (don't worry if they are not all the same, they are home made)

Form balls with the dough and place on a floured surface covered in plastic wrap to rise. Let rest until double in size.

Now to shape the bagels:Line 4 sheet pans with non stick paper and lightly oil.Take a ball of dough in your hands, with your thumbs and pointer fingers work a hole in the center of the ball. And stretch. Place the dough on the prepared sheet trays.

Again, cover with plastic wrap and let rest and rise for about ten minutes.

Now to cook the bagels:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. First you boil the bagels, this gives them their texture. Place the bagels in simmering water for 3 minutes on each side. Return the poached bagels to the oiled sheet trays.

Now to season, You could just egg wash ( 1 egg plus 1 Tablespoon water) the bagels and bake or you can egg wash and add your favorite bagel topping. Sesame seeds, poppy seeds, onion, garlic, salt. What ever you like.

Bake the bagels for 10 to 15 minutes depending on your oven. Bake them until they are golden brown. let cool for 5 or 10 minutes if you can keep your self from digging into one.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

I make these little beauties every week for the Farmers Market. I know they are traditionally "Italian Holiday Bread", but my customers love them. I do however make the traditional size at Christmas.

So here is my version of Panatonne....

Day one:

Soak 1 cup dried cranberries, 1 cup yellow raisins, the zest of 2 oranges and the zest of one lemon in with 1/2 cup orange liqueur, and one cup warm water. Soak until fruit is plump at least 2 hours to over night.

This is optional, but I like to add roasted hazelnuts. 1 cup hazelnuts Just place on a sheet pan and toast in a 350 degree oven until golden. If they still have the skin on, do the same but after you toast them place the hot nuts in a dish towel and rub to remove the skin. let cool and chop. Not all will come off but that's OK.

Day two:

In the bowl of an electric mixer, Add 1/2 cup room temperature milk, 3/4 cup light brown sugar, 4 teaspoons dry active yeast, and any liquid from the soakingfruit. Proof for about 5 minutes until it starts to foam. Add the sponge from the day before, 4 whole large eggs, 8 egg yolks, and 6 1/2 cups bread flour and 1 tablespoon of salt. Fit with the dough hook and run on medium speed until combined. Raise the speed to high and kneed for 5 minutes to build gluten structure.

Reduce the speed and add 1 1/4 lbs of room temperature butter, one ounce at a time. Mix until incorporated, scrape sides to insure butter is evenly distributed. (the butter has to be soft to the touch but not too soft.)

Next add the soaked fruit and the hazelnuts if used.

The dough might seem a little sticky and you must fight the urge to add more flour. Brioche is a soft dough.

Place the dough in an oiled container with a lid. The container must be at least twice the size of the dough so that it has room to proof. Place in the refrigerator for 8 hours to over night. This is called a slow proof.

Day 3:

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place on a floured surface. Kneed the dough a couple of times and divided into 9 equal portions.

I like to use brown paper bags to bake the Panattone in. These are what they call "2" lb bags. Small lunch bag. I take the bag and cut it about 3 inches from the bottom.

Place the dough portions in the bags. No need to oil the bags.

Now let proof until double in size. Depending on the temperature of your house this could take anywhere from 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, give these little beauties an egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tsp water) and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. A way to tell if they are done is to tap the bottom of one of the loafs. If it sounds hollow it should be done.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Ciabatta is easily my first choice in bread. I find it to be perfect in every way.

Good crust...check, chewy center...check, full of flavor... check!

And it can be used for anything, sandwich bread, grilled bread, crustini bread, or just for slopping up the juice from a bowl of mussels.

Like anything else in life worth having, ciabatta is worth the wait when making. This is a recipe from "The Bread Bible" by Levy Beranbaun

So here we go!

Day one...

Dough Starter (biga)(make six hours to 3 days ahead)

1/2 cup plus 1/2 tablespoon unbleached all purpose flour1/16 teaspoon instant yeast1/4 liquid cups room temp waterplace all ingredients in a small bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until smooth. It will be sticky to the touch.

Cover and set aside at room temp. until it triples and is full of bubbles.

This will take about six hours. I usually do this before I go to bed. So that when I wake up it will be ready to go. Or you can do it in the morning before you go to work so that it will be ready when you get home. If you are not going to use right away, you can refrigerate it for up to 3 days. Just make sure to bring it to room temp. before you bake with it.

In the mixer bowl, whisk in the flour and the yeast. Than mix in the salt. (This keeps the yeast from coming in contact with the salt) Add the water and the biga. Using the paddle attachment, mix on low speed just until the flour is moistened. Raise the speed to medium-high and beat for 3 minutes. At first the dough will be very soft and soupy.

Gradually it will start to develop strands of gluten. Lower the speed to medium and continue to beat for another 2 minutes. It the dough hasn't pulled away from the bowl after the first 3 minutes, scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat on medium-high for another 3 minutes. If it still does not pull away, add a little flour, a teaspoon at a time until it does. The dough should cling to your fingers if touched.

Let the dough rise...

Using an oiled spatula or dough scarper, scrape the dough into a 1 quart container, lightly greased with cooking spray or oil, and cover. Let rise until at least double. About 1 to 1/2 hours.

Shape the dough and let rise...

Sift a generous amount of flour onto a counter. With an oiled spatula, gently scrape the dough onto the flour, and sift more flour on top.

Handle the dough gently at all times to maintain as much air in it as possible. Using the palm of your hands against the sides of the dough, push it together slightly. Using your fingertips, make large deep dimples in the dough about 1 inch apart. Using your palms again, push the sides together slightly. This causes wrinkles on the bottom which will become the top when inverted and creates the classic lines in the crust.

Carefully lift the dough and invert it onto the prepared baking sheet. It will be 10 to 11 inches long. Push in the sides again so that the dough is 4 1/2 inches wide. It will be between 1/2 to 1 inch high. Sift flour over the top and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Allow to rise in a warm spot until 1 to 1 1/2 inches high, about an hour and half.

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees 1 hour before baking. Have an oven shelf at the lowest level. If you have a pizza stone use it if not do not worry. Place a small cast iron pan in to heat up.

Bake the bread...

Remove the plastic wrap and quickly but gently set the baking sheet in the oven (on the stone if you have one) Toss 1/2 cup of ice cubes in the hot pan and immediately shut the oven door. Bake for 5 minutes and lower the oven to 450 degrees and continue to bake for 20 minutes until the bread is a light golden brown. Halfwa through baking, turn the pan around for even baking.

Cool the bread...

Remove the bread from the oven and transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely. Brush off the extra flour from the surface.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

I love figs! I love them right out of the pint container, off the tree, in a tart, or like this, wrapped in prosciutto.

These are figs that I purchased from Sunshine orchards,at the farmers market before I left on vacation to Seattle. The season for them is so short and I did not want to miss out.

Except for the dressing, I am not going to put exact amount and measurements here. This can be made for one or for a hundred. Just prepare what you'll eat.

First start with the dressing.

I put a cup of good balsamic vinegar in a small sauce pan with a tablespoon of sugar, and reduced it to about a quarter of a cup. This creates a thick, shinny syrup, that coats the back of a spoon.Next I roll each fig in a thin strip of prosciutto.

You may have to cut each piece of prosciutto in half length wise.

Next sear them in a skillet so that the prosciutto gets crispy and the fig warms up but doesn't really get too cooked.

Just add a little olive oil to a non stick pan over medium heat. Cook all around to that the prosciutto get crispy all over.

Now that the figs are warm. You can assemble the salad. I used arugula for this salad. The bitterness really compliments the sweetness of the figs and balsamic syrup.

Add some goat cheese (I love the goat cheese from Ryals goat dairy). Drizzle the balsamic syrup over the top, add salt and pepper to taste. And gently toss with your fingers. I like to place the wrapped figs on top so they stay crunchy as long as possible. And viola! Perfection on a plate.

Enjoy!

Oh, far warning... you might want to make extra wrapped figs. They seem to disappear quickly!

Monday, April 26, 2010

This weeks market meal is inspired by the wonderful chorizo that Isabel Mendez, who sells those great tamales at the market, is selling. I love chorizo, so smoky and spicy. And to counter act the spice of the chorizo I purchased some shiitake mushrooms from Mississippi Natural products and to balance out the low tones of the chorizo and the mushrooms I used some goat cheese form the Royals. The goat cheese gives it a little kick.

I used orechiette because they sort of mimic the shapes of the mushroom caps and the sliced chrizo. I also like it because the sauce gets in the little scoops.

So here we go....

Ingredients:

1 pound chriozo, sliced

2 pints shiitake mushrooms

1 pk goat cheese

3/4 cup olive oil

1/2 pound orecchiette

Method:

In a large skillet, saute the chrizo in the olive oil until nicely caramelized

add the mushrooms. While this is cooking boil your pasta. Follow directions on pkg. Just remember to really season the water with salt and not to over cook it. You want a nice texture to the pasta you don't want it to turn to mush.

Add the cooked pasta to the skillet with the chorizo and mushrooms. Add a little pasta water also, this helps create a sauce.

And to finish it all off, break up the goat cheese into chunks. The goat cheese will melt and coat the pasta with creamy yummy-ness.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

I love this recipe. It's simple and delish. I sell these at the Farmers Market and I always hope that I will have one left over to bring home but it never happens so I decided that I would just make a couple of loaves for the house.

This is not a 100 percent whole wheat. It is half whole wheat and half bread flour. I have not mastered the art of making a 100 percent bread that has a texture that I am happy with. If anyone out there has a recipe they like please share because I would love one.

Ingredients:

(yields 2 9x5 loaves)

3 cups warm water

5 teaspoons dry active yeast

1/4 cup honey

5 cups whole wheat flour

5 cups bread flour

1 tablespoon salt

Method:

In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix together the water, yeast and honey. Let set for five minutes to develop the yeast. Add the flours and the salt to the bowl and with the dough hook attachment, need the dough for five minutes until a smooth dough forms.

Place the dough in an oiled container and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in size.

After the first rise, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and pat out to form a rectangle. Cut in half into two smaller rectangles.

Roll each half like a jelly roll. Place each into a oiled 9x5 loaf pan, seam side down.

let rise until double in size. Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Once the dough has doubled, brush it with egg wash (one egg beaten with a teaspoon of water) and with a sharp knife, slash the bread down the middle about 1/2 inch deep.

Bake for about 40 minutes or until the bread sounds hallow when tapped on the bottom.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

I call this "Strawberry Sue" because it is inspired by the Italian dessert, Tiramisu. I used to make this as a cake when I was pastry chef at Mr B's but on the day I made this I thought I would make it into a trifle. A little simpler and a little more

"Martha Stewart-ish"

Here in Louisiana, we are in full strawberry swing, and this is the perfect spring dessert. Hope you try it because I know you will enjoy it.

First you will need to get all the components together for easy assembly.

"The cake layer"

I used the White velvet butter cake recipe from the The Cake bible. I love this cake because it is buttery, light and so tender. I use it for a lot of cakes and it is a great partner for fruit.

Ingredients:

4 oz egg whites

1 cup milk

2 1/4 teaspoons vanilla

3 cups sifted cake flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 TBS plus 1 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

6 oz softened butter

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-inch by 1 1/2 inch cake pans, bottoms lined with parchment paper and then greased again and floured.

In a medium bowl lightly combine the egg whites, 1/4 cup of the milk and vanilla.

In a large mixing bowl with a whisk attachment, combine the dry ingredients and mix on a low speed for 30 seconds to blend. Add the butter and remaining 3/4 cup milk. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase to medium speed and beat for 1 1/2 minutes to aerate and develop the cakes structure. Scrape down the sides. Gradually add the egg mixture in 3 batches. Scrape down the sides after each addition.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pans and smooth the surface with a spatula. The pans will be about 1/2 full. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a tester inserted near the center comes out clean and the cake springs ack when pressed lightly in the center.

let the cakes cool in the pans on a rack for 10 minutes. Loosen the side with a small metal spatula and invert onto greased wire racks. To prevent splitting, reinvert so that the tops are up and cool. When cool, cut each layer in half.

While the cakes are in the oven I like to get the syrup, I use to moisten the cakes with, going.

"Strawberry Syrup"

I like to add a little orange liqueur to the syrup. It adds a nice orange kick, but you can by pass this and just add a little orange extract.

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar

2 cups water

3/4 cup orange liqueur

2 pints strawberries

Method:

Place the sugar and water in a medium pot and mix so that the sugar is evenly moist. Place on the stove over medium heat and heat until it just comes to a simmer and all the sugar is melted. Remove from heat and let cool. Place the strawberries in a food processor or a blender and puree until liquid. Strain through a fine strainer to remove all the seeds and pulp. When the syrup is cool add the strawberry liquid and the orange liqueur. Set aside.

"The filling"

Now here you could use the traditional Tiramisu filling of sweetened marscapone which would work great if making this as a trifle, but if you are inclined to make this as a cake you will want a more stable filling. I also like the addition of cream cheese in this recipe. It gives the filling a little bite that acts great against the syrup.

"Ingredients:

16 oz marscarpone, room temperature

12 oz cream cheese, roomtemperature

12 oz butter, roomtemperature

2 tablespoons heavy cream

"Method"

In the bowl of a mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, Beat the cream cheese and the butter together. Remove the bowl and fold the marscapone cheese into the mix. Then the heavy cream. Use Immediately because it will set up if placed in refrigeration.

"Strawberries"

Clean and halve two pints of strawberries. Set aside.

"The finally"

Now all that is left is to take all of our components and layer them.

Place a small amount of of the strawberry liquid on the bottom of the trifle dish. Place on of the cake halves down cut side up. Take a pastry brush and moisten the cake layer with the strawberry syrup. Nice and saturated.

Now take 1/4 of the filling and layer on top of the cake with a spatula to smooth it out. Place a layer of the halved strawberries on the filling.

Now repeat this with the remaining ingredients. Top the final layer with whole strawberries.

If you are making this ahead, which you can, cover before topping with whole strawberries. Let set out for one hour before you plan to serve.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

I am lucky enough to have good friends that are great chefs. And at work they cook innovated, food all week long and so when we get together at our house, I like to cook good home style food.

When I asked my husband if he was in the mood to have some friends over for Sunday dinner he said, "We'll talk about it." And when he came to see me at the market that Saturday I asked again if he wanted to have friends over and he looked at my baskets full of Market veggies I purchased there and said, "I guess we are having dinner."

I just couldn't help myself. There were so many beautiful vegetables at the Market. Brussel sprouts from Mr. Jim, beautiful baby carrots from the Monicas, greens from Lucy...It all just dictated to me what supper would be.

Of course there are many vegetarians who would stop there but we are a group of meat eaters. So we picked up a large beef tender loin and some charcoal and headed home.

You can choose any meat you would like so here are the recipes for the vegetables since they were the star to the meal. And I have left out amounts because the amounts are not important it is the methods that you'll want to follow.

Lets start with the baby carrots...

Oh so simple... First you'll need to clean the carrots, just remove the green leafs. You can leave a little of the stems. Next get a ice bath ready. Blanch the carrots for about 2 to 3 minutes in salted water until they are slightly flexible. Remove from the water and right into the ice bath. What is great is that you can blanch them ahead of time and finish them off before dinner. To finish them just place them on a sheet pan and toss them in olive oil and honey, salt and pepper and roast in an oven heated to 350 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes.

Next the tomatoes...Again so simple.

I love, love, love roasted tomatoes. And these cherry tomatoes were wonderful. Sometimes they are called Capri tomatoes. I love the look of them still on the vine...there is just something beautiful about it. And like the carrots I just place them on a sheet tray. sprinkle them with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast them in a 350 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes until they just start to shrink and burst. Serve warm or at room temp.

Now the brussel sprouts.

Once more....blanch trimmed sprouts in salted, boiling water until knife tender. Place in ice bath to stop cooking. In a large saute pan saute sliced pancetta in a little olive oil. Once the pancetta starts to get a little crispy add the blanched brussel sprouts, salt and pepper. Go light on the salt because sometimes pancetta can be salty. Taste for saltiness. Saute for a couple minutes. Add some julienned mint and plate.

And for dessert I made a beautiful Triffle that I like to call, "Strawberry Sue" Here is a photo of it I will post the recipe in a later blog.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Growing up, we spent a lot of time in Mexico. My family had a cotton ranch in Sonora Mexico. And one of my favorite memories is being in line at the border coming back into the states, and the men with churros carts, weaving in and out of the lined up cars. And my parents always obliged our pleas for a bag of Churros.

And they did come in a bag. A bag stained with grease and filled with warm, crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, cinnamon sugar covered heaven. I know I am going a little overboard, but I am just channeling my former child self, and I remember how much I loved them. I still remember that they were 10 for a $1.

A few nights ago I decided to make a batch. And my husband and I watched the last season of the Sopranos and ate Churros. And it was great.

Ingredients:

(Pate a Choux)

1 cup bread flour or all purpose flour

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup whole milk

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter

4-5 eggs

Method:

Sift together the dry ingredients and set aside.

Bring the water, milk and butter to a boil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. When it comes to a boil, remove the pan from the heat and ad the flour mixture all at once. Using a sturdy spoon, stir vigorously to combine.

Return the mixture to the heat and stir constantly. Cook for at least 4 minutes or until the dough becomes smooth.

Transfer the hot mixture to a mixing bowl fitted with a paddle attachment or use a hand mixer. Mix on low speed for a minute to cool the dough down to 180 degrees or until the steam evaporates. Add the eggs one at a time mixing after each so the dough has time to absorb the eggs. Scrap down the bowl after each before adding the next. Before you add the last egg you have to test for consistency. Pinch off a little of the dough and with your thumb and index finger, then pull your fingers apart. The dough should stretch and not break. If it breaks add the 5th egg. The dough should be shinny.

Place the dough in a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Heat canola oil to 350 degrees. Pipe strips of dough into the hot oil. Use a knife to cut the dough off at the tip.

Once they are golden brown, remove them from the heat onto a paper towel.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

The age old question when it comes to Chocolate chip cookies, "Thin and crispy or big and chewy?" Well my preference is the first. Thin and crispy. And when I started to bake them for the farmers market, I soon learned that there are a lot of people out there that would agree with me.

Don't get me wrong, I always have room for a chewy chocolate chip cookie. But what I like about a thinner, crisper one, is the lovely buttery flavor and the slightly nutty caramelized crunch you get. So if you can't already taste it in your mouth here is the recipe so you can whip some up for yourself.

Ingredients:

2 cups of all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 pound (2 sticks) roomtemp butter

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 whole egg plus 1 egg white

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

12 oz bittersweet chocolate chips

Method:

In a bowl combine the dry ingredients. In the bowl of a mixer fit with the paddle attachment cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the egg, egg white and vanilla. Mix until combined. Add the dry ingredients again, mix on low until combined. Add the chocolate chips.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a small ice cream scoop, scoop small balls on to parchment lined cookie sheets. About an inch apart. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes rotating once. bake until golden brown on the edges.

If you don't want to bake off all the dough you can make rolls with parchment paper and keep in the freezer and slice rounds when needed.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

I know I say it all the time but I am a lucky, lucky girl. I have fresh seafood available to me at the Farmers market every Saturday. Of course the great vendors are at the market every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

I am a big fan of Caponata. It's a Mediterranean dish consisting of mostly eggplant. There are many combos of vegetables you can use. Well this week I had my taste bud set on Fennel, which I thought would really liven up the caponata. And it did.

I had guest coming for dinner at 7:30 and had an Italian group meeting at 6:00 so I started the prep early and was able to get dinner on the table with time to spare. This is a very user friendly dish that can be started ahead of time.

I used Drum because Clara, from the farmers market, had some beautiful fresh sides. You could use any white fish. Sea bass would be yummy and hold up great to the flavors. You could also substitute chicken for the fish. You would just have to precook the chicken a little before topping with the caponata.

Ingredients:

(Caponata)

2 medium eggplants, diced

2 fennel bulbs, jullienned

1 medium red onion, jullienned

4 garlic cloves, diced

2 cups mixed olives

1 16 oz can good quality diced tomatoes

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup olive oil

1 bunch jullienned basil

Method:

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and saute the fennel, garlic, and onion until softened and slightly translucent. Salt and pepper to taste. Add the eggplant and cook until softened Salt and pepper again to taste. Next add the olives and tomatoes.

Finish off with basil.

At this point you can refrigerate until you need it. But we are going to get started on our fish.

In a baking dish, place your fish and toss with olive oil and salt and pepper on each side. Lay side by side. Top with the finished caponata and place in a 400 degree oven for about 1/2 hour or until the fish is flaky and cook through.

I Served the fish with a potato pancake. This is what my mom calls a "Hash Brown" and it works as a great balance to the acid in the caponata.

Ingredients:

(Potato pancake)

2 large Idaho potatoes, shredded and squeezed

Salt and Pepper to taste

1/2 cup canola oil

Method:

Place the shredded potatoes in a bowl and toss with Salt and pepper.

Heat the canola oil in a large non stick skillet. Add the potatoes and spread over the bottom of the skillet. Press to form a compact cake. Cook on medium low heat until golden brown. Flip and cook the other side until it is also golden brown. Remove from pan and cut into wedges.